Big Plans By New Owner Of Nordic Valley

The world’s longest gondola and an expansion of terrain in the order of 2,000 percent highlight a multi-year proposal for what has been the smallest ski and snowboard mountain in Utah.

Formerly known as Wolf Mountain, the Nordic Valley resort was recently purchased by Colorado resort owner James Coleman, who specializes in buying smallish mountains and plowing money into them right away. The mountain currently has three lifts on 140 acres and is a half-drive outside Ogden, situated between Snowbasin to the south and Powder Mountain to the north.

However, it will likely take a couple of years to secure U.S. Forest Service permits for the expansion – and contend with amending a roadless designation for the area by the Unitah-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, the owners say.

The headliner for the Nordic Valley project will be a 4.3-mile gondola – longer than 3.8-mile Grindelwald–Männlichen gondola in the Swiss Alps. The lift would bring skiers and riders up from the city of Ogden up and over an 8,100-foot ridge to the mountain base from a terminal at a city park on the eastern edge of North Ogden – in 12 minutes.

“In addition to shortening travel times and alleviating canyon traffic, the new gondola will also help reduce vehicle emissions by providing a convenient and sustainable mass-transit solution,” according to the proposal.

In addition to the gondola, Coleman’s Mountain Capital Partners proposes to add 10 chairlifts and cut dozens of new trails to expand to 2,800 acres of skiable terrain – mostly intermediate level.

About the author

Andy started skiing at about three years old. His father Jim held him between his legs and off they went down New England trails. Soon, Andy joined the Fourth Estate and moved to Colorado, thereupon finding work as a staff writer or editor for newspapers – including a stint as Ski Editor for the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. In between, he designed and wrote public school curriculum, edited Concrete Pumping & Placing Magazine, and got a master’s degree in English. All the while, he skied. So, the marriage of snowsports and journalism has only been waiting for Andy to catch on. He’s glad he finally did.